1. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.
2. October, 22, 2011: "285 Indian Girls Shed Their 'Unwanted' Names", Mumbai, India
--Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer who was terminally ill with cervical-cancer and died at age 31. Before her death, doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital removed two dime-sized pieces of her cervix for research without her permission.
--Henrietta Lacks' cells were the first human cells to be grown successfully in a lab. Her cells proved to be so prolific and sturdy that researchers everywhere wanted them.
--Over the years, billions of her cells have been grown in labs---estimated to be enough to circle the equator three times.
--One of the purpose of the book was to "educate people about the fact that there are people behind every one of the billions of biological samples that are used in research every day".
How does this sit with your theology of humanity, God and ethics?
2. October, 22, 2011: "285 Indian Girls Shed Their 'Unwanted' Names", Mumbai, India
--To fight the widespread gender discrimination (India has a skewed gender ratio: 1,000 boys to 914 girls...and some districts in India has ratio well below that to 1,000 to 881)
--Abortion of female fetus and sheer neglect of girl infants lead to a higher death rate among girls.
--Federal or state governments have to announce incentives (include free education and free meal) to encourage people to take care of their girls. Even cash bonuses for families with girls who graduate from high school.
I always remember the sad face of my friend in middle school whose name "Monsi", in Taiwanese, means "no one wants you". My heart ached for her and wondered how she survived, being called "unwanted" day in, day out, and by your very own family.....and for the whole world to know that you are indeed unwanted......simply because you were born a girl........
--she persuaded Christian and Muslim women to unite...and under her leadership, thousands of women (dressed in white to symbolize peace) showed up for protests and sits-ins at government meetings. She wrote "In the past we were silent,' I told the crowd. 'But after so many of us have been killed, raped, dehumanized, and infected with diseases, and watched our children and families destroyed, was has taught us that the future lies in saying no to violent until peace prevails!"
--Her movement expedited the end of civil war in Liberia and elected Africa's first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2005
--she said about the women's role in the Middle East following the Arab Spring: I know about changing the dynamics of any country, especially as it related to women's issue: No one can do it for you!
--Her memoir "Mighty Be Our Powers" detail her life and ministry....a worthy read
--She was featured in the documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell"
--Her name was Dorothy Rodham, a Chicago suburban homemaker.
--She grew up in a violent home (code word for domestic violence, I believe), then her parents divorced, she was sent to the paternal grandparents who were "severe and unpredictable disciplinarians" (I believe these are code words for "abusive grandparents....probably physically, verbally and mentally).
--She "raised three children under the watchful eyes of her husband"....."in a restricted household dominated by its patriarch (code words for ???), Dorothy funneled her ambition and a passion for learning to her only daughter"
--Hilary Clinton credited her mother with giving her the tools, and toughness, to enter politics. She said: "my mother, who never got a chance to go to college, who had a very difficult childhood, but who gave me a belief that I could do whatever I set my mind."
I wonder what could have Dorothy Rodham become if she was allowed to learn and grow as a daughter, wife, mother and woman?
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